Decay of Heaven
by SilverBattleCry
Summary: With the death of his remaining family looming behind him, his fated death in the future, how exactly does a half-baked, half-witch come into play? His Partner? Taboos and hidden family drama aside, he never meant for any of this to happen, let alone to fall in love. He was meant to die, and now, he had a reason to live. { Oc - Centric } { Major Character Death }
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

 ** _Have you any soul?_**

* * *

He was distracted, thoughts rolling between the crevasses of his mind, rolling a piece of gum between his teeth in an attempt to stray his thoughts away from the ever-thrumming gnawing just beneath the skin. If the young man truly applied himself, he could focus on the ticking that came from the clock on the opposing wall.

Not that, that was any better, just a maddening countdown of the time he had left. Count his breath, the hum of blood in his ear, rise and fall. A tapping against the board draws his attention away from himself, he was the only one left in the classroom, and Kiro barely caught the tail end of Maka's pigtails as she left the classroom.

"You're distracted." Sid's voice cuts through the air, and Kiro blinks slowly, dragging himself into a stand. "My mind was elsewhere." That was no excuse, Sid was relentless with keeping the attention on him, especially since it was hammering in the details on working with one's partner equally.

"We were discussing the attributes of the soul, Kiro. As a Utility Meister, this should come across as rather important." There's nothing childish in his demeanor now, just the set features of a teacher scolding his student.

Sometimes Kiro couldn't help but wonder why they bothered. It's not like he was a professional liar, the instances where his body seized up, curled up and fainted at least once every three months from the sting beneath his skin. There was no hiding his condition, the poison that flooded through his body had to be easily detected. But not once was he ever approached, pinned down and questioned why-

"Pay attention, this is important as your career as a Meister." Brown eyes narrowed on him, dull and intense all at once. The teacher didn't know, that much was seemingly set in his actions.

"I haven't chosen a weapon yet, won't need to."

The glare from the older man's eyes was to cold, in turn keeping his thoughts tucked carefully away. Kiro couldn't read him, no matter how much he wished he could at least _begin_ to understand this man. "Such arrogance will cost you, you know." The teacher's voice rebounded back to stoic, drawing out as if he _knew_ for certain his future. In truth, Kiro shouldn't even be in this class, and the Teacher knew it. He was only here as a substitute Meister when needed to take on the role of a Meister when one's Meister was recovering, but the skill of the Weapon was required.

This left a cold, almost damp, shiver gliding across the surface of his skin. This man was one of the few to continuously make him uncomfortable as if he could see right through him. For all Kiro knew, that was exactly the case.

Sharply tugging his bangs left a dull _ache_ that spread across the flush of his cheeks, little needle pinpricks that drew him back into his own world. The Young Meister abandons the classroom in a rush.

One of the balconies would keep the _quiet of the world_ as his companion.

Fingertips shaking, pale lavender eyes roamed over the bag at his side, digging tirelessly through his pockets. _Distractions, distractions_ to keep away from the itching pain buried in his flesh. It was not normally such a distraction, but today, the pain ate away from within, and he feared he would soon faint from the ringing in his ears.

The small flute shakily twirled between his hands, fumbling to place his hands in the proper position, lips closing around the end of the flute. Broken notes cracked against the previous silence, Kiro's chest heaved as he slowly drew away from the murky thoughts of the world. Foggy vision clearing, the notes themselves darkened, flowed against the sunlit air as the sun began to sink.

 _"You're good..."_

The soft whisper startled him, turning his head to peer over his shoulder. A tiny, red-haired girl was standing in the doorway, her, hazel?, eyes cast down onto the floor. Kiro nearly hadn't heard her and beckoned her to come over.

Upon closer examination, her eyes were revealed to be golden, wide and set into a peach shaped face. In a way, he supposed she could be called cute if she would bring herself to stop looking so **pitiful**. _Like a kicked dog._

"It's starting to get late, why are you up here?" A silent question, the flute shortly pocketed away for the time being. Who even was she? Kiro had certainly never seen her before, and he was certain he could remember someone with hair as dark a red as that. However, instead of the intending effect, the girl walked further out onto the balcony, golden eyes peering out over the edge. Mesmerized by the sight before them it would seem.

She looks him over briefly, smiles a quiet smile before looking away. "That seems...so sad. But beautiful. Your song." Kiro barely heard the girl speak, a soft whisper as she spoke. From those very words, the way she carried herself-

Pain flared up, making his skin go paler than it was already. A swallowed bout of coughing that never broke the surface of his throat. " _Thank you."_

He manages to speak, look her dead in the eye as she gazes back up at him. "Who are you?" He whispers, and the girl tilts her head, as though confused by his question. "Maria. Just Maria." The male nods, curious though he would not act on it now, watching as she turned around, barely looking over her shoulders.

"So.. _.bye._ " How strange she was, even as she ran down the halls, her feet leaving soft thuds into the ground.

 ** _"Maria."_**

Kiro rolls the name on his tongue, white teeth gleaming in the dying sun. _He wanted her_. But why? Was she even a weapon? He could find out, but, that was a horrible idea. He was going to die, this was why he had no partner so why her? She never did answer why she was here, after all, lost perhaps?

The Meister shook himself, opening a small, hand sized bottle, _crimson and scarlet_ swirling in the glass, staining his lips, easing his pain, erasing the thrumming in his veins. She would fade from his mind soon enough.

They always did after all, another Meister to wield and aid them. No such _completion_ was to become his, not in this life.

 _"What's your name?"_

 _A bell chimes in his_ _ear, his fate was sealed._

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** _ Thus we have the beginning of our story, an introduction to our protagonist, who isn't as innocent as he appears. We also have the introduction of one, Maria Albarn, and as stated, Kiro's fate has been sealed. { As a note, Stein was changed to Sid due to timeline malfunctions! }

Stay tuned for the rest of, ** _The Decay of Heaven_**


	2. Chapter 1 - Wine Stained Lips

**Wine Stained Lips**

 **Chapter One**

* * *

It has been some time since he's seen the red haired girl, he hadn't seen that shade of red again as far as he had been looking. Not that he had been, it was dangerous to get attached anyway. Yet, Kiro had been stuck, daydreaming of the color red, and when he found himself doing so, no amount of scolding to himself would make him feel guilty. Even if he refused to accept it himself, the Meister knew this, he wanted to know her.

But that was a stupid, whimsical thing. It would fade, surely it would fade. It had to. He hadn't been attached to anyone else since the incident with Sage. Before that, his father and brother. Shaking his head, he looks down to the bag slung beside him, heavy with the weight of his drink and books. He was supposed to be studying something, but he couldn't recall quite what. Something about the resonance between a Meister and Weapon. Absolutely pointless for him to learn, but the DWMA, it was an Academy. You had to learn the curriculum.

Even the basics of normal schooling. There were advanced classes as well, classes he attended, though at this point he had begun to question the why. His brother had been dead for nearly three years, approaching the next April eleventh, it would mark four years. A year short of half a decade, and maybe if he had been younger, Kiro would question his resolve to his shared dream with his deceased younger sibling.

But he wasn't, instead drinking away the pain, drinking to keep people away, to avoid getting attached to other people again. Teeth click together, and the young Meister reaches inside of his bag, glaring down at the bottle, loosely gripped in his hands. There was the intense urge to smash it against something, maybe throw it at his wall.

But then he would have to clean it up, and if he cut himself on the shards, Kiro wasn't sure he would bother bandaging the cuts. He'd bleed out. What use was an anemic Meister again? Useful enough to be in the E.A.T class as it was, even if it was for missions regarding a sensitivity to soul perception. He had a talent with that, picking up souls from miles away, though he had to be closer to identify the emotion felt when a lie or truth was told. He had potential, that's what he was told, so many times over, if he would just take a partner, he could make them a death scythe in a snap.

But Kiro wouldn't take one up. His partner was supposed to be Zachariah, his brother. That was the reason he was here, he wouldn't disrespect him in that way. Of course, even he wouldn't ignore his own taste of loneliness. The Meister could acknowledge that he was, in fact, lonely, and alone.

Bitter and resenting everyone else, who were so close to their friends and partners, not even thinking about how they could be stolen in an instant. It was why Kiro would never take another partner again.

He wouldn't put himself through it again, his brother taking half his heart to the grave. Becoming heartless was essentially the beginning to becoming a Kishin yes? The path was there, though with no weapon that was entirely impossible. He wasn't sure, having not entirely paid attention, he should be, he knew. It was why Kiro was here. His brother and he, having dreamed of being like his mother. Someone who cut down Afreet Eggs almost instantly, or so their father stated. He had never questioned it before, maybe he should have. He sets the bottle to the floor, deciding that it was a wasted effort, wasted money, to throw it.

Aside from such, he had to meet up with Sage to begin their training. It was ironic, claiming he needed no attachments and yet he befriended this green haired girl. There were secrets to her as well, secrets he refused to pry apart, even if perhaps, he may be close enough to ask and receive answers. It wasn't something he wanted, knowing someone else's issues and then having to shoulder them.

Shrugging aside his thoughts, Meister went up the stairs to his room, fingertips dancing along the spines of used books once there. There was a worn book splayed across his sheets, others scattered across the floor, placed in haphazard piles on his desk, yet they were all stories. Some filled with the academic tools needed to study during schooling hours, and after.

It was those that he was after, gathering them onto the surface of his bed and sifting through them, they all had been highlighted in some way or another. His studying wasn't the best, but with all the notes on the side, this would help both him and Sage in certain aspects of class.

Fingers are pulled through his bangs before he bags up the required books and notes. Even if they never went through them, Kiro wasn't about to risk her asking. Bag in hand, he quickly descends the stairs and locks up his house, keys clinking together as they are shoved back into his pants pocket. He didn't live too far away from the Death Weapon Meister Academy, which was a good thing in hindsight. However, that wasn't where he was going, not completely. Sage wanted him to meet up with her at one of the outdoor training grounds, one she had described as pillar heavy with a bit of an open field to it.

Apparently, it would be near the forest area. Bag slung over his shoulder, Meister begins to make his way through the City. It was fairly busy, as it most always was, the center marketplace seemingly forever bustling with travelers and new students. He nearly laughs when he sees a younger student buying into one of the scams here. A drink that would help improve your weapon control. None of it ever actually worked, but people were naive and nonetheless, no matter what they were told, they would buy it.

It was why he never bothered to interfere anymore. A rite of passage to the city one could say. Overcoming the superb marketing tactics and gold plating. Eventually, he manages to move past the heart of the city, walking along the edge of the forest, before eventually seeing the pillars Sage had been speaking of.

The girl was surprisingly easy to spot, amongst all the dark greenery of the forest, bright, pastel green hair made her easy to discern from the rest of the scenery. She didn't appear to be sleeping, which was good. She must be getting a better hold of her condition.

"Kiro?" She heard him, turning to face him, violet eyes honing in on him from a distant. He nods as he approaches her, smiling to her as he sets the bag down. "I'm here. Notes and books are in the bag." Sage glances down to the bag, a brow rose before she shrugs, turning her back away from him. "That's good, though we won't be getting to them."

It was one of those days then. Her staff, not a weapon partner surprisingly, was held loosely in her hands. She had been teaching him how to use the staff, how to block others with it, to reguide the force of the blow and to kill with it. It wasn't a violent fighting style at a glance, however, having been on the receiving end of those blows, he pitied those who would disregard her. Without a weapon partner or not, Sage was impeccable when it came to the staff. To get her job and duty complete.

"Take your stance. Your staff is on the furthest pillar." A brief nod and Kiro makes his way over to the furthest pillar. The staff she brought for him was weighted evenly throughout, smooth and well taken care of. Sage once told him she had gone out of her way to get it made, whether it meant she herself made it, or someone else did, Meister didn't know.

Once dropped into his stance, she walks over to him, cheerful light muted in her gaze, looking him over. "You're going to be blocking me today. Blocking and redirecting." No offensive strikes today then.

Kiro doesn't question her at this point. They had been training together, sparring like this, for a couple of years now. She had been taught by another, and so she taught him in return for his help. Afterward, it had just fallen into place. Meeting like this, helping each other improve over their own shortcomings. Even if they weren't as close as the average friends in the Academy, Kiro would still defend her should someone attempt to bully or speak ill of Sage. She did the same thing from what she had told him.

So when she comes at him, her staff striking down in a sharp, fluid motion, he plants his weight into the ground, and whirls his own horizontally, before yanking back. Sage wasn't to let him up, following after him with a swirled strike to his left. It's another block, and Kiro realizes he's blocked twice in the first few moments, he was on the defensive, as he should be.

But today was not just defense, but to redirect. So when she aims at his center, he is swift to direct the force of her blow, up and towards the laughing sun. It's a good mark before Kiro is moving again, avoiding and redirecting, blocking. A one sided mock battle that has him playing so much defense it nearly grates against his nerves. Perhaps that was her point, to test his patience. Make him crack and eventually, instinctually strike back at her. _'I won't be doing that today_.' The goal was to last as long as she was rushing at him, if lucky, he would be able to do so. Sage always held near limitless amounts of energy.

It was incredible really. He's getting winded as the sun crawls across the sky, sweat making his face slick, his clothing just sticking to him and burning as the heat continued to beat down against the two of them.

"You know." Sage is speaking now, something she happened to do now and again. "I haven't told you yet have I? I've finally found a partner." There's a grunt from him, blocking a heavy strike aimed to knock his feet from underneath him. "Is that so?" Panted words, as he circles around her again. "Yes, a little red head that was brought to the Academy recently." There's a ringing in Kiro's ears, there's only one red head he knew of.

"Gold eyes?" He questions Sage, her forceful blows never letting up, even with them conversing. "Yes actually, her name is Maria. Apparently, some E.A.T students found her while tracking a witch."

Dimly, Kiro can recall that bit of information now actually. A blue haired Meister boasting about how he saved a girl's life as a god like he should. His weapon simply trying to get him to hush, while on the side giving what details were allowed and up to grab. "She had been burned pretty badly in a house fire, there were scars all over her back. I think she's a halberd or something."

A staff-like weapon then. It would do Sage and the new girl, Maria, good for themselves. Though would it last? Choosing to be partners was one thing. Sometimes the Souls wouldn't match up. Unless they _really worked_ on it.

"That's good then. You've been looking for a weapon for a while now." Sage finally lets up, stopping her serpentine strikes, possibly to correct something. "I want it to last." Her voice is quiet, barely a whisper against the air. "But I can't tell her everything yet, she may not even want to stay my partner once she finds out about my condition." It was a valid fear for her to have.

After all, Sage had difficulties finding a partner because of her condition. Narcolepsy. In truth sometimes even Kiro doubted she should be a Meister. Such a condition was dangerous to have when your partner was dependant on you during a fight.

Many times Kiro had found her sleeping, or having nightmarish hallucinations. Sometimes Kiro just wanted to tell her to stop. She was only going to hurt herself. But he couldn't just tell her that. Sage was fighting this condition day in and day out. Taking the proper medications and treatments, because being a Meister was something she really wanted to do. It wasn't his decision to take this from her. Nor was it in any way his right to do so either. But he wanted to nonetheless.

He just didn't want to see her get hurt. "You don't need to tell her everything. But your condition, having Narcolepsy, you need to tell her that much if you want to match your wavelengths with her. If you don't, you could really scare her, if not make her angry for keeping such a secret."

Weapons were the bread and butter needed for the Academy. Meisters came in all shapes and sizes, anyone could choose to become one. Weapons, however, that was in their blood, their very soul.

As far as Kiro knew, it couldn't be replicated. In some cases, weapons didn't even come to the Academy in hopes of becoming a death scythe. Some came just to control their inner weapon, and then get back to a normal life style. After all, one couldn't proceed with a normal job if they were accidentally hurting others with something they couldn't control. He claims a heavy sigh, before shaking his head.

"It's your choice. Just keep what I said in mind." With that said, he hands over the staff she had been letting him use for today's session. Taking it from him, Sage doesn't quite seem to meet his eyes.

Would she take his words to heart? Who knew. A part of him, quite a large part much as he was reluctant to admit, hoped that she wouldn't. Hoped that she would finally quit. The bag ripped from the ground, Kiro slings it back and begins to make his way home. Sage's voice calls out, but the most he can hear was something about her new partner joining them for tomorrow's training session.

He would see first hand how these two were going to work out. _If they did at all._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Here we go! we have introduced Kiro and Sage, who we will see more of in the future! We also have a little bit of insight of who the red haired girl was, AKA Maria. Let's see where this takes us ne?

Stay tuned for more of, **Decay of Heaven!**


End file.
